Milford Track Part 1

The whole reason for going to New Zealand on holiday was to walk the Milford Track. Now I hadn't done much research before going out there, but expected extreme natural beauty. However, I was in no way prepared for quite how amazing the scenery was going to be. I also thought my recent running program would make me easily fit enough to do the walk without too many problems. I anticipated a tough downhill, which I've never been too good at, and a tiring last day at the end when we'd have to walk 20+km, but I generally wasn't worried about the hike from a physical point of view. I have to admit now that a bit of preparation would have put me in much better stead to have made the walk easier.

Day 1:

First stop on the Milford Track

There are 2 ways that this hike can be done: guided and unguided. As inexperienced walkers, Caroline and I took the guided option and paid out to Ultimate Hikes for a tour experience. In hindsight, this was an excellent decision, as we were definitely not prepared to have a go at this walk unassisted. We went to the Ultimate Hikes office for 9am and were soon on a coach heading to Lake Te Anau, New Zealand's biggest lake. The scenery on the way was pretty, with hills reminding us of Gippsland, and mountains always in the distance. We crossed rivers on narrow road bridges, followed lakeside roads, and passed deer and alpaca farms. At Te Anau, we stopped for lunch and then picked up a boat which took us to the start of the Milford Track.

A short walk, maybe 10 minutes took us to our first stop, Glade House. The lodges on the tour were excellent with bunk facilities and full time staff through the season. The rooms are clean, and food is provided on the guided tours, and the food was generally excellent. Constant hot water for showers is another big plus! There are bars where you can buy beer and wine, and teas and coffees are provided. I have to admit to going rugged man and drinking beer in the lodges.

We were offered the choice of chilling, going for a swim in the nearby Clinton River, or going for a short nature walk where a guide would show us some flora and fauna. Caroline and I went on the nature walk to Dore's Pass (yep, up a mountain, but only about 45 minutes round trip) where we were taken to a river that was completely clear. Caroline filled her water bottle from the stream which was the first time of many on the trip. It was fantastic that the water in rivers was clean enough to drink from!

Back at the lodge, we had dinner and an introduction session where we all got up (about 50 people in the group) and said something about ourselves and why we were doing the hike. It was a good laugh, and everyone joined in but it was a bit worrisome that there weren't many others beside us who hadn't hiked before. The guides gave us a briefing of the next day's hike, which is something they did every evening. This would include some housekeeping things about the lodges we were staying at and some things to look out for on the next day, including plants and animals. A few drinks later and we were all in bed aware that it was a 7.30am get up for an 8.30am start.

Sun tipped peaks in the morning

Day 2

When I looked out my room in the morning, there was sun on the tips of the mountains and there was a chill in the air, but the air was clean and fresh. This was our first full day of walking where we were going about 10 miles (16km) mainly on the flat and following the Clinton River. Straight off, we had to cross a swing bridge, which Caroline didn't like, but after that the day warmed up and it was like a summer stroll along the riverbank.

Unbelievably, that is a river behind Caroline and not just stones! The water is clean enough to drink from!

It took us about 5-6 hours but there were plenty of stops along the way including a few side paths leading to points of natural interest of great views. There were walks to wetlands where sun orchids grew, and to lakes that were fed by glacial waterfalls. It was a relatively easy introduction to the track although by the end of the day, there were a few with aches especially seeing it was so warm that day. At our stop, we had dinner made for us by the lodge staff and the guides offered first aid assistance for sore joints or muscles. And then again, it was a couple of beers and again it was a couple of beers and off to bed as it was an even earlier start the next day and a big climb to come.

Our first view of Mackinnon Pass, where we'd be walking over the next day!